Tag Archives: Vignettes

Vignettes are like the haiku of the LEGO world. Usually built on a base 8 studs wide by 8 studs deep, vignettes show a little scene or a moment in time. But like written poetry, there’s plenty of variation on the basic theme.

When LEGO needs a trim, use a LEGO mower

We have all been there: it’s summertime and the plate grass is getting long… well Anthony Séjourné has sorted out our lawnmower needs with his excellent LEGO mower. The garden gnome has sought a place of safety as this is a serious looking mower — look at the beautifully neat grass it is leaving in its wake! Using layered plates for the grass was an extra step well worth the effort to ensure the tiled cut grass is below the level of the top plate. This is a cute little scene that really shows how to highlight this small mower model in the best light.

The lawnmower itself is a great little build with nice curvy shape and good use of the Bionicle mechanical arm to create the angles and attachment for the handle.

My only issue is that I cannot work out where the cut grass has gone?

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LEGO Primitive Technology tiled roof hut

To an untrained eye, this mud hut by Magma Guy might seem like just another medieval farmer’s house, but I assure you, this is placed in current time, in our world. Inspired by the Youtube phenomenon Primitive Technology, Magma has recreated the focal point of the Youtube channel’s most popular video, Primitive Technology: Tiled Roof Hut, which has over 21 million views and shows the process of building a simple structure completely from scratch. The model has all the details captured exceptionally well, from the ceramic roof tiles, to the rock and mud walls, as well as the stone foundation and a picture-perfect recreation of the stick door. The scenery is also complete with some ceramic pots and the “Primitive Technology” guy with a resin torch.

As a great fan of the videos myself, this creation means even more to me personally, especially the extra photo showcasing some of the creations from Primitive Technology’s other videos.

30 scenes from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince recreated in LEGO

If you read our site often, you’ve probably noticed that a group of builders have been collaborating on an ongoing Harry Potter LEGO series. Each builder has tackled a different book in the series, producing a small vignette scene for each chapter. Mel F. recently finished the sixth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, with 30 vignettes for the book’s 30 chapters, and the tiny scenes just keep getting better and better.

Mel’s take on the Harry Potter vignette series is quite spectacular and a little different than those who have come before her. Most noticeably, Mel incorporated several intricate building techniques and even some microscale buildings (the Burrow) into her series. Of course, she also included a plethora of Unikitty tails (Mel’s signature LEGO piece) into her builds.

If you missed any of the previous Harry Potter vignette series, be sure to check them out here:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by Marvel V.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by Markus Rollbuhler
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by Kevin Wollert
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by Thorsten Bonsch
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Vaionaut

See each of the fantastic Half-Blood Prince vignettes below.

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He who dies with the most toys wins

The Flashman Papers is a series of humorous novels and short stories about a cowardly British soldier who is placed in a series of real historical incidents at the end of the 19th century. For the last 5 years, London based builder Workshysteve has been delighting us with a series of beautiful little LEGO vignettes depicting the most poignant moments from Flashman’s life. Here is the latest, largest and sadly last of these creations, in which an elderly Flashman prepares to write his memoirs, surrounded by trinkets he acquired during his adventures.

According to the builder, this scene contains 25 hidden LEGO pieces that have only appeared once in each of the 25 other creations in this series. I hope you have fun trying to spot them all. But be warned: There are also quite a few red herrings too, where an item in this picture appears in more than one of the other scenes. Check out the whole series and try to find them for yourself.

Death of a hero

Batman’s sidekick Robin may not be the main protagonist of most stories that he appears in, but that doesn’t make his death any less tragic. This powerfully emotional scene built by Yu Chris has great atmosphere with a backlit batman symbol and intense background, but most importantly, it features great brick-built figures whose posing portrays the message of the build perfectly. A lot of LEGO creations are cheerful and optimistic so it’s refreshing to see some more diversity in form of darker themes like this one.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful

Jonas Obermaier has left milk and cookies out for Santa in his lovely little sign-off piece for the year. A nicely decorated warm fire place with plenty of logs stacked next to it, a beautifully decorated tree loaded with presents, a cozy living room with plenty of character. In Jonas’ words “I wish you all a merry christmas, happy holidays with your family and a happy new year :)”

And for anyone curious, yes that rug is a legitimate LEGO piece. It’s from the DUPLO set 5598 Dino Valley.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor

SEBASTIAN-Z has created a series of vignettes inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and they are beautiful. Sadly missing the Ghost of Christmas Past, the builder says “I haven’t decided what to do for that one yet but wanted to upload these before Christmas”. The series starts with a glimpse into Scrooge’s office with it’s fine wooden furnishings, gold accented books and coins littering the floor:

Next, Marley’s ghost appears to Scrooge before whisking him away. The walls of the drawing room are cleverly constructed from LEGO wooden crates, giving them a lovely paneled effect:

Then we have Bob Cratchit’s family feast in his kitchen, shortly before Marley’s ghost tells Scrooge about Tiny Tim’s grave fate:

In the next image, we have Tiny Tim and the Cratchit’s with a clearer view of the kitchen. I like how the builder has created the wooden floors and mis-shapen walls:

Finally, we have The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come showing Scrooge his own fate if he does not change his wicked ways. I was delighted when I stumbled upon this wonderful series. It reminds me of Dickens’ “Carol Philosophy”, and there is nothing like this story to remind me of the true nature of Christmas, and I look forward to the conclusion.

Sashimi supper

Samurai, geisha, bonsai and futons can only mean one thing: Japan. A fishmonger’s cart with a samurai’s house is the latest fantastic entry by jsnyder002 for the Traveling Salesman category of the Classic Castle Competition. A bit of a frequent flyer here at The Brothers Brick, two of his most recent contributions Birds of a Feather and Jewel are excellent.

People line up on the colorfully cobbled street for a sample of fresh fish from the small cart in front of the beautifully crafted samurai home with the bonsai-like tree. The black and white walls, the red and grey tiled roof and the beautiful accents of gold and black trim, including the lovely tessellated path, all add to the texture of this wonderful little scene.

No house would be complete without an interior, and this one is no exception: a sword rack, table, chairs and armor stand comprise the furniture downstairs, while upstairs is a simple futon.

A waterfall of colours hides a secret

We have been left to form our own conclusions about the meaning of this latest colourful creation by Delayice. The only potential clue given is the title, Maze of Entrance, which simply adds to the intrigue rather than offering any explanation. The medium azure waterfall was the first part of the build to capture my attention and it contrasts perfectly with the dark orange inverted slope. The texture of this inverted slope gives a pixellated feel to the build and my overall impression is that this door is part of a colourful quest, almost like a video game.

Who knows what lies beyond the doorway, but it seems that there’s a few intelligence tests on the wall to overcome before it will open.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Sebastian Bachórzewski has clearly got big plans for Professor Dick von Brick’s next big adventure. Letters, maps and charts litter the Professor’s finely crafted desk. His treasures, keepsakes and plenty of books adorn the ornate bookshelves and back wall. Von Brick’s beautiful office looks like something from the beginning of an adventure film before our hero heads off on his intriguing journey filled with excitement, peril and adventure.

The Sorcerer’s Appendix

Sometimes, LEGO builds are less about amazing techniques or unusual parts selections than they are about a great little story, scene, or joke. Yes, there’s a great monochrome background behind the bright blue hues in the foreground in this vignette by Julius von Brunk, but it’s ultimately the very silly pun in the title that makes this LEGO creation wonderful.

Do you have a reservation?

This hotel lobby, built as a 16×16 stud vignette by Sven Franic, is all ready for guests. You will be able to check in on arrival and have your suitcase taken up to your room by the smartly dressed porter pulling the luggage rack. There is everything a hotel lobby requires: tasteful wallpaper, a local map, comfy leather couch and a reception desk complete with bell to gain attention. I particularly like the wooden display behind the reception desk with pigeon holes for guests’ room keys or messages.

If you fancy trying out some of these builds as inspiration for your own creations, Sven has even supplied an exploded view: